Let’s Talk Photo Filters
We are living in a selfie-photo obsessed world. Whether you IG, TW, FB or SC you undoubtedly succumb to taking a selfie at least every other day – make that every other hour – and then promptly look for the right filter before you post to your social pages. I’ve become so accustomed to putting the “right” filter on a pic, or adjusting the contrast, brightness or tone of a selfie, that I can barely remember when I posted my likeness without fussing around with “perfecting” it. What is perfect anyway? Why has covering every possible “blemish” become de rigueur in our disposable photo society?
I don’t want to filter out those parts of my face that make me look human, only to end up with a too sleek, wrinkle free mask-like version of my face. What message am I sending out to girls if I overly photo-shop my selfies? Wouldn’t that be synonymous with having them believe that they must look only clear skinned, young and gorgeous at all times or they won’t be loved/liked/popular/successful…?
These are tough times for the natural look in photos – and I mean au naturel: no makeup (gasp!), no filters (double gasp!!). I’m guilty of it too. But one doesn’t have to overly retouch a selfie for it to look beautiful, fresh and Instagram-able. I think the less “fixing up” the better.
And remember, the 3 cardinal rules when taking a selfie are:
1. Know your angles! Know which side of your face looks best in pics, know how high or low to hold your face up or down. And remember to keep your thoughts light, happy and flirty;) for your prettiest expression to shine through those eyes!
2. Know your light! So important. Your light is everything, and good lighting can make or break a photo.
3. Know your background! You can have the best angle and light and then there’s that ugly garbage can in the shot, how did that get there? Check the entire frame of a photo before snapping your best looks.